1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to shipping pallets. More specifically, the invention is directed toward a pallet comprising a load bearing deck and an undercarriage for receiving a forklift, palletjack, hand truck or other automated machinery.
2. Description of Related Art
Shipping pallets are used as portable platforms to handle, store and transport loads such as food, beverage, and most every product or product component produced. A pallet is typically made of wood and has slats and posts arranged to provide a top surface and open access underneath for a forklift-type device. Bottom slats may also be added to provide for transport on conveyer belts, for use in automated machinery, and to add strength, stiffness, and rigidity to the pallet. Currently, the world market exceeds 1.5 billion pallets sold annually with the United States alone accounting for half a billion sales, and predictions are that sales will increase.
Conventional shipping pallets are usually constructed of wood or wood products with numerous associated problems. Wood pallets are heavy, expensive (especially those designed for four-way entry for a forklift) and subject to insect infestation. Some shipping pallets are constructed from alternative materials, but no matter what construction material is used, conventional shipping pallets suffer from one or more significant problems: limited strength, especially over extended periods of time, cumbersome weight, flexibility and bendability, high expense, limited usability, complex production requirements, ecological unacceptability, and inability to reuse or recycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,172 to Carter discloses a pallet constructed from paperboard. The pallet includes a plurality of elongated runners constructed from cylindrical cores and a deck formed from a number of elongated arcuate segments of the cylindrical cores.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,719 to Vidal et al. discloses a pallet with an upper tray for receiving a load and a lower face that has reinforcing and supporting elements attached thereto. The reinforcing and supporting elements are V- or U-shaped elements and extend longitudinally and transversely along the lower face.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,118 to Bendit et al discloses a one-piece hollow, continuous pallet that has a deck and underside. The underside includes structural features that function in conjunction with the deck for support and reinforcement when a load is placed on the pallet. The structural features include an arched bottom recess, side impact depressions, and “kiss-off” structures. The pallet may be made using rotational molding processes.